The “12th Italian Language Week” starts Monday and continues through Oct. 22 in Seoul, Busan and Daegu, said Lucio Izzo, director of the Italian Cultural Institute.

Organized by the Italian Embassy and the Italian Cultural Institute in Korea, “Italian Language Week” also takes place in more than 100 countries around the world.

It was first launched 12 years ago by the Italian government to promote the nation’s culture and language. This year it focuses on regional cultures as the founding element of Italy’s national identity vision for the future.

This year’s program features conferences, lectures, concerts, theatrical performances and exhibitions, including special events for local students of Italian.

Wednesday is “Italian Day” at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies. The university hosts a seminar on that day open to the public on Italian culture followed by the screening of Italian film classic “Assunta Spina” followed by a discussion of the film with professor Kim Si-hong.

Winners of an Italian writing competition launched by the Italian Cultural Institute will be awarded the same day with a flight ticket to Italy and several other prizes. The Italian rock band Rossella Bellinelli Trio will perform at HUFS.

Chung A Art Center in Seoul will host an exhibition on Oct. 19 of five Italian and five Korean sculptors, including Luciano Massari, Massimo Pellegrinetti, Franco Cremoni, Michelangelo Galliani and Novello Minotti. All Korean sculptors lived, worked and studied in Italy.

Alessio Bax, an acclaimed Italian pianist, will perform works by Rachmaninov and Mussorgsky at Sejong Chamber Hall in Seoul on Oct. 22 at 8 p.m.

By Philip Iglauer (ephilip2011@heraldcorp.com)